When we originally decided to travel the country for a year an RV, we had a choice to make:
In the end, we decided on a 36foot 2001 Cameo by Carriage 5th wheel. It’s relatively spacious, has a pretty decent amount of counter space in the kitchen, PLUS it has a washer & dryer [cue the soundtrack for “Hallelujah”!]. While I wouldn’t exactly say it feels like “home,” it’s definitely doable for our family of four.
We paid $13,750 for our 5th wheel – a steal (Note that this is our model – selling for over $18K).
We opted for a 5th wheel due to budget and safety considerations. Because we’re pulling our trailer with a truck, our girls spend travel days in their car seats as opposed to “floating around” the cabin in a motorhome.
Throughout August and September, I’ll be working with the American Chemistry Council to share some ways that plastics help make our trip possible. For example, many of the products that keep us safe on the road are made of plastic components – bumpers, windshields, seat belts, air bags, even car seats! Plus, we use a variety of other durable, shatter-resistant and reusable plastic products everyday to make our trip more convenient, easy, and fun.
Would you ever consider traveling for a year via RV? Another idea is to rent an RV for a week or a month! We just met a family who does that every summer!
I am participating in a compensated program by Plastics Make it Possible® in partnership with the American Chemistry Council and Ogilvy PR.
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Muhammad Osama says
February 9, 2014 at 1:56 pmRVeing is fun :) I haven’t done it but seen It really and In games I think RVeing help us know our selves and our family more deeply helping them in a lot of ways like camp fire on the RV site sit there with family and have a long convo with them I wish someday I can also enjoy this :)
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Nini Lettner says
August 13, 2011 at 2:39 pmI would love to travel in an RV. We live just two blocks from Seacliff State Beach and there is an RV campsite there. Every time we walk by Markus tells me he wants me to buy him one for his 40th birthday :-) He wants one of the fancy ones with a double bed, the sides that pull out, etc. I would love to travel the US and see all of the sites…so many places I want to go!
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Cathi says
August 13, 2011 at 10:48 amI would drop my everyday life and take to the road in a heartbeat! The adventures, memories and trials you’re experiencing are priceless. ;D
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Selene says
August 13, 2011 at 7:08 amWe’ve been RVing for 3 years, currently have a 28 ft fifth wheel. Our plan is to go fulltime in a larger fifth wheel after we purge ourselves of the “stuff” and see the house, hopefully within 1 to 2 years.
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Amy @ Finer Things says
August 12, 2011 at 7:38 pmWe would LOVE to be RVers someday. We’ve even considered being on a custom harvesting crew, traveling the country helping people cut their wheat. It just doesn’t work very well with my husband’s school schedule. So we’re pondering options…
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Krista says
August 11, 2011 at 9:49 pmI wondered how you were doing laundry! That would have been one of my big concerns! And while I enjoy traveling the country and we did road trips when I was a kid (once borrowing my aunt and uncle’s motorhome for a trip up into Canada – and then having it break down in nowhere Montana!) I don’t think I’d want to live in one on a long term basis. I need my personal space… ;)
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Christine says
August 11, 2011 at 11:11 amWe are in the process of planning a 3-4 month cross country RV trip for late next summer/fall during an anticipated job transition. We’re having the same debate of what kind to get, and we’re debating between renting and buying for that period of time. We don’t have a vehicle that could tow the trailer kind so renting/buying such a vehicle needs to factor into our costs. But with 2 toddlers, safety is definitely a factor. We’ve been looking for motor homes with car seat mounting options… did you guys come across anything about that in your research/preparations?
I’m new to your blog… do you have archived posts about your preparation process for your trip, or can you consider posting more about that if you haven’t?
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Katelyn says
August 11, 2011 at 4:21 pmFor info RE car seats and an RV http://www.car-seat.org has a great forum with lots of information.
Some basic things to consider are:
Car seats are not crash tested for RVs.
Car seats should only be installed in forward facing seats that are secured to the metal chassis of the vehicle. Except for the front two seats, most of the seating in an RV is only secured to the wooden sub-flooring which is unlikely to hold up well to the forces involved in a crash.
For a booster (not using a harness), a lap and shoulder belt will be required which would force the boostered child into the front passenger seat, which often has an airbag.
For seats such as at a dinette area, there often isn’t sufficient clearance between the table and the seat to protect a child or adult who may be sitting there.
For older children and adults utilizing only lap belts, there is an increased risk of internal injuries.
Another concern with RVs are the potential for loose items to become dangerous projectiles during a crash.
I’ve read of RV purchasers having rear seats custom designed to safely accommodate car seats/kids, but that’s probably very pricey.
Good luck in your planning!
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Kayla says
August 11, 2011 at 9:59 amMy family and I bought a school bus a while back, and will be converting it into a motorhome sometime in the near-ish future. We like to travel and sing in churches, and we travel to craft fairs with our family products, so a place to stay would be ideal in those situations. With our family of six, traveling gets too expensive otherwise. We love to travel, and would like to be able to stay in one place longer than we would otherwise, if we had the place to stay and it didn’t add to the cost of the trip!
So, yes, we’ve considered it!
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Katelyn says
August 11, 2011 at 5:55 amI much like the idea of a 5th wheel over a class A or class C. The big point with me is the safety factors. Class A and Class C RVs generally only have a full shoulder harness on the front two seats (lap belts have an increased risk of internal injuries.) Also the seats at the dining table are not normally tied into the metal frame, just to the typically plywood underfloor. This makes it difficult to comply with manufacturers recommendations for a car seat (only front facing in an RV, seatbelt must be tied into the frame, no airbag.) Also, for me I know the temptation of getting up while still moving would be great, especially with children and that can be incredibly unsafe in the event of a crash or just evasive action. I also like that you can “park” a 5th wheel and then have a vehicle. We frequently camped in a pop up camper growing up and had a lot of fun, but sadly no bathroom or washer/dryer in those.
My in laws have a Class A. I’ve only ridden in it to go down the block in their neighborhood, but for reasons of safety, I won’t be letting my 1 year old son ride in it anytime soon.
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Jenn says
August 11, 2011 at 5:48 amWe actually have considered it in the past – especially with one of the lines of work my husband used to do. Then we had kids and now he has a job he really, really likes – so I guess we’re staying put for now :) We have considered purchasing land and an RV to live in while we build a dream-house… but I don’t think it’s going to progress out of the “thinking” stage. I’d do it in a heartbeat – get an RV and travel across the country for a couple of years, but Hubby is more of a home-body. Ah well!
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Melissa says
August 11, 2011 at 5:37 amI would love to travel in an rv. Being able to make so many stops to see all the attractions. I have seen some very fancy class A’s, but I think the 5th wheel looks the most convenient. Being able to have a car to drive around when you are stopped seems better then having to drive a big rv around or towing a car with the rv. We hope to do this in a few years & at least be able to spend a couple weeks of the summer traveling by rv. Spending a whole year with my family sounds wonderful, but not sure it would be doable for us.
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Crunchy Con Mommy says
August 10, 2011 at 11:16 pmI don’t think I’ve even been in an RV! Anyway, I get really carsick and so does my son, so while a toilet to puke in would help on road trips, I think I’m more into driving somewhere then staying there for like a week. Doing that with an RV would be fun I’m sure though! Especially if camping somewhere that is uncomfortably cool at night or has potentially dangerous animals.
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Las Vegas Dentist says
August 10, 2011 at 8:54 pmI actually like living in such RV. It would really give my family an adventurous days ever specially going somewhere they wanted to go. Place by place destination and instead of renting a house to have some rest, we can directly rest with RV…This a great idea actually..Thanks a lot.
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Stephanie says
August 10, 2011 at 7:21 pmI think you’re having such a great adventure! We have a 36 foot Salem BSBH… but we don’t pull it. We park it at place and pay a seasonal fee. We’re up there almost every weekend. We love it and we love how it has enriched our family life. http://www.stcroixhavencampground.com/
We used to be tent campers… and I loved going to different parks, but I have LOVED this summer and going to the camper every weekend. There is a social componant build into a seasonal site, and I think I look forward to seeing my friends as much as my kids look forward to seeing theirs.
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Sarah R says
August 10, 2011 at 12:39 pmI would definitely live in an RV! It’s so cool that you got a washer and dryer with your RV. I never knew that was a possibility until you posted your tour of the RV on Give Every Day. My family doesn’t require a lot of space so we would be ideal candidates.
I think the 5th Wheel is also a good choice because you can park it at the campground and then drive around in just your truck. If you had one of the monster RV’s, you would have to either tow a car or drive around all the time in the RV, right?
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Stephanie says
August 13, 2011 at 7:37 pmYes, that’s correct. if we had chosen a motorhome, we would have definitely towed a car behind us. It’s just not feasible to drive around with a huge RV. In fact, most downtown areas have so many bridges that RVs can’t even fit! ;)
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Crista says
August 10, 2011 at 10:47 amI would love to travel for a year in an RV! I think that would be an awesome experience. I have always wanted to travel around our great country.
Forget line of sight, lol! I’m touching/wearing 3 things that are made of/with plastic: My laptop, my hairclip, and my eyeglasses :).
Ok, that’s weird. I read your post first in my Google Reader and when I clicked over here to comment, the last line about looking around for things made of plastic is not in this post! Your other commenters may think I’ve lost my mind! And I assure you, I have ;).
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Stephanie says
August 13, 2011 at 7:30 pmHa! I edited that question out right after I hit publish (I may use it in a future post), but I’m glad you answered it anyway. Thank you. :)
Plastic really is all around us.
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abby says
August 10, 2011 at 10:07 amUMmmm…YES!!! I actually think RV living is quite ideal (though, that is not speaking from any experience). I am constantly wishing we lived in multiple cities…and if we had an RV, we could do just that! I hadn’t thought about renting one for a short period of time…great idea!
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Stephanie says
August 13, 2011 at 7:26 pmFar from ideal (at least for us)…but there are cool things about it! ;)
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Gretchen T says
August 10, 2011 at 8:24 amOut of curiousity, how much time do you actually spend traveling in a day?
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Stephanie says
August 13, 2011 at 7:23 pmFor the majority of our time on the road, we’ve spent between 3-4 hours in the car on our travel days. We then stayed in each location about 1-2 weeks.
Now that we’re heading west, we’ve been moving a little more quickly – driving 5-8 hours and staying 3-5 days.